


On the Nature of Daylight

by zefrumiousbandersnatch



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Historical AU, Kara as Anastasia, World War I, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-05 23:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12804699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zefrumiousbandersnatch/pseuds/zefrumiousbandersnatch
Summary: In 1914, six-year-old Kara’s primary concerns were winning hide and seek and squirreling away lemon cakes from the kitchens. So what if she lived in a Palace and Papa was the Tsar? Miles away, Lena busied herself with doing everything her brother did and nothing her Mother found upsetting. At five, she had much to do before she and Lex could take Papa’s company and change the world.Unbeknownst to Grand Duchess Yekaterina Zorealvna of House Romanov and Fürstin Lena von und zu Luthor, it was only a matter of time before La Belle Époque stepped on a landmine and exploded, changing everything and leaving nothing untouched in its wake.-A(n attempted) historical retelling of Supergirl without powers or aliens. Set in Europe, circa 1914 to 1945. Alex saves a girl wrecked with immeasurable loss and survivor’s guilt, Kara loses her whole world and becomes the hero she never planned on being, Lena defies her family and becomes a force for good, and Lex descends down a path to darkness from which there is no return.





	1. 1914

**Author's Note:**

> I love studying history. Did I mention I love studying history?

_“Eight to ten million soldiers will slaughter each other and strip Europe bare as no swarm of locusts has ever done before.”_

_\- Friedrich Engels, 1887_

  
Europe, 1914. A relative peace since the end of the Franco-Prussian War. Deep polarization, a complex web of alliances, competing imperialistic designs, rising nationalism, and unchecked militarism all threaten the veneer of lasting peace.

In June, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg are assassinated in Sarajevo by Serbian Nationalists. It proves to be the spark that ignites the power keg.

 

* * *

 

 

**May 1914 – Lena, 5.**

**The Winter Palace.**

 

Soldiers in neat columns and rows marched along outside, their horses and boots making a click-clack noise that floated up to the window. They looked nothing like the toy soldiers Papa sometimes let her and Lex play with. Their coats were the wrong color and their hats looked silly.

 _‘Prussia’s army is the best army in the world, Lena,’_ Her brother would say as he marched them along on the floor. She would nod and move along the pretty horses, prancing like the ponies in their barn. _‘Someday I will lead the Kaiser’s men into glorious battle with weapons our family designed!’_

Lena pressed her hands and nose closer to the window, her breath fogging up the glass as she attempted to get a better view.

“кто ты?”

Lena turned at the voice, dropping her doll in surprise. She followed the hand picking up the doll and was met with bright blue eyes. The other girl tilted her head and furrowed her brow.

“Ты потерялся?”

Lena opened her mouth, unsure what the strange words meant. It did not sound like any of the words Fräulein Vogel had taught her so far, the ones from France and England. Surely Lex would know what this girl was saying.

“My name is Lena von und zu Luthor,” Lena said slowly, taking her doll back.

A light of recognition in the other girl’s face. She smiled and clapped her hands.

“You are German,” She said with an accent. She grabbed Lena’s free hand and dragged her away from the window. “Come, you must play with us!”

Lena opened her mouth to say that she wanted to keep watching the soldiers.

“Катенька!”

The other girl stopped in her tracks abruptly, causing Lena to bump into her from behind. The voice came from somewhere down the hall. The girl turned and put a finger against her lips.

“We must be quiet,” She explained, walking slowly to the door. “Or she will find us!”

Lena nodded solemnly, unsure who they were hiding from. Once the coast was clear, the other girl ran and pulled Lena along. They ran from room to room and Lena found herself being yanked under the table cloth. Clutching her doll, Lena turned and saw the girl had produced lemon cakes. She handed one to Lena.

“Thank you,” Lena said. She took the cake and smiled.

“My sister Olga is very good at,” she paused, crinkle forming as she thought hard. “How do you say, hiding and finding? Yes. Hiding and finding.”

“My brother Lex is as well,” Lena told her matter-of-factly. “He says it is because my feet are very loud.”

Lena frowned and looked at her feet.

“He says they are also not very good at dancing.”

The girl leaned closer and examined Lena’s feet, clad in uncomfortable shoes Mother made her wear.

“I see nothing wrong with them,” She declared after her thorough inspection. She bolted up suddenly, looking at Lena with a smile while on her hands and knees. “I will teach you to dance! My cousin Kal-El showed me yesterday! He is a man now, you see.”

Just as she was yanked under the table, Lena found herself being pulled out. The girl smiled and bowed like a prince would. She held her hand out. Lena hugged her doll, unsure of what to do. She stood on her tiptoes and put her doll on the table. When she took the outstretched hand, the other girl’s smile widened and she pulled her closer.

“I think we do this,” She said, taking Lena’s hand and placing it on her shoulder. She then put her hand on Lena’s waist.

“There is no music,” Lena shook her head. The other girl shrugged.

“That is okay,” She said. “I can sing for us!”

She started humming a tune Lena had heard before, maybe from Papa’s study. Lena laughed and moved with the girl, twirling in circles. Lena spun around again like the little dancer on Mother’s jewelry box. She giggled and pulled the other girl with her, spinning her around.

-

Lena sat on her Papa’s lap and watched the big palace disappear as their auto pulled away. The soldiers looked more like the toy soldiers at home the smaller they appeared.

“You wouldn’t believe it,” Mother fumed. “She wandered off and managed to find herself lost. One of the footmen happened upon her galivanting with one of the Grand Duchesses.”

Lena burrowed deeper into Papa’s chest, wishing she had not lost her doll. Oh, how she hated to upset Mother. She felt her eyes getting wet and hid her face.

“Must you vex me so, Lena? Must you embarrass our family?”

“It is alright,” Papa laughed, waving Mother’s worries away. “The Tsar found it quite amusing.”

“I daresay your little friend helped Papa close the deal,” Lex mused from next to Papa, leaning forward to catch Lena’s teary eyes. He flashed a big smile. “You’ll be running the company before you know it, Mäuschen.”

Lena smiled at him.

“Thank you for your help today, my darling girl,” Papa added, kissing the crown of her head.

“You’re welcome, Papa.”

-

“You must stop encouraging her so.”

Lena could hear Mother talking to Papa in the other room. She hugged her knees and tried not to cry.

“She is five,” Papa reasoned. “And she has quite a bright mind. What is wrong with indulging her curiosity?”

“Who will want to marry a woman who speaks her mind?”

Papa laughed.

Whatever he said next was lost to Lena as Lex plopped down beside her. Lex was six and ten—much, much older than her. He was tall and charming and looked so much like Papa. He was almost a man according to him (although Lena still was not sure what being a man meant). He went to academy and wore his uniform every opportunity he had.

Often, Lena wished she was like Lex. He was brave and smart. And Mother loved him.

Lex could do anything and together, they were going to change the world.

He smiled and knocked his shoulder against hers.

“Want to come with me, Mäuschen?” He whispered like he knew a big secret. “My footman tells me the main street Nevsky Prospect is lined with majestic cinemas. Mayhaps they will have Gertie the Dinosaur playing.”

Lena sat up straighter, eyes wide with excitement. She had heard about Gertie the Dinosaur from her cousins. They were on a holiday in America and saw the movie in the cinema. Lena was envious when they told her of the moving pictures. How amazing! And how she loved dinosaurs.

“But what will Mother and Papa say?” Lena worried out loud, remembering their parents.

Lex shrugged. He turned around and offered his back.

“Fret not. I’ll take care of it,” He said over his shoulder. “Hop on.”

Lena smiled, climbing on her brother’s back.

“Oof,” Lex exclaimed as he stood up and adjusted his hold on her. “You’re quite heavy now, Mäuschen. You must be growing!”

“I am!” Lena giggled excitedly. “I’ll be as tall as you!”

Lex laughed as he made his way out of their hotel suite.

“I have no doubt of that.”

 

* * *

 

 

**July 1914 – Kara, 6.**

**The War to End All Wars.**

 

“Olenka!” Kara whined, flopping herself face down on her oldest sister’s bed. She laid out like a starfish, knowing it will annoy her even more. “Tatya and Masha will not play with me! And Kal-El is too busy with all this fuss with the army.”

She did not have to see Olga to know she was rolling her eyes.

“Go play with Lyoshka,” Olga said without looking up from the newspaper.

Kara tilted her head back and looked at her sister upside down. Her face was scrunched up concentration, much like Papa when he read his important letters at his desk. Olga liked to do everything Papa did, from reading the same newspapers and books, to dressing up in military uniforms.

“All Alexei wants to do is play with horses!” Kara grumbled. “And besides, he is a baby!”

This time, Olga looked at her pointedly.

“You are also a baby, Shibzik.”

Kara’s jaw dropped in disbelief. She sat up dramatically and crossed her arms, harrumphing to prove her point.

“I am not!” She argued, refusing to look at her sister. “I can count and read!”

Olga laughed. Kara frowned even deeper. She scoffed and made to get off the bed. She can play by herself.

“Oh, do not sulk, Kara,” Olga said after she stopped laughing. “Come, I do not wish to play. But you can read about constellations with me.”

After a few seconds of purposeful silence, Kara relented. Olga knew she loved learning about the stars. But she was not about to cede victory. She dramatically turned around and threw her arms down.

“Fine,” she whined, walking over to sit next to Olga on the divan. “If we must.”

-

Kara frowned. She didn’t like it when all these men took Papa away from her. They have been coming so often lately. Mama nodded at the soldiers and Alexei gave them a salute.

It was a curious thing. Her uncle had barely acknowledged any of them. He always smiled at Kara. She was his favorite after all. And he always had some sweets for her. Whatever the matter is, it must be serious.

She looked to her family and found them indifferent. They continued to sip their tea and chat with each other. Alexei had gone back to playing with his toys. Only Olga was watching the soldiers intently. She caught Kara’s gaze and gave her a small smile. Kara smiled back and hugged her doll. She turned back to Papa.

He continued to swim in the lake, floating on his back with his eyes closed. Kara giggled, remembering her cousin Johnny from England referring to him as a ‘King Fish.’ It took a few more minutes before Papa finally swam back. He put a robe on and winked at Kara. When he turned to the men, his face changed immediately. Gone was the sunny smile Kara was so used to seeing during tea time and play dates. This man had on Papa’s face, but a storm cloud had formed over him, furrowing his brow and setting a hard frown on his lips.

The men bowed in reverence and waited for her Papa to speak.

“Come play with me,” Alexei whined next to her, taking her attention away from Papa and the men. Alexei pouted and held out his toy horses.

Kara sighed and turned to face him.

“We’ve just played,” Kara reminded him, holding on to her doll with one hand and reaching for one of the horses.

“Your doll can play with us,” Alexei told her.

“…the Germans…”

That caught Kara’s attention. She looked down at her doll—the one the German girl had left at the palace a few months ago—and then at Papa.

Papa nodded gravely. They continued to speak in low voices and Kara could not hear most of it.

“…Wilhelm is a fool,” Papa said with a frown. “To war it is then.”

The military men snapped to attention and bowed once again. They immediately returned to their vehicles. Her uncle remained and looked at Papa. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He nodded and turned around, joining the other men behind him.

Papa did not wait for them to leave. He turned back to their family as the vehicles roared and began to move. He kissed Mama on the cheek and patted Kara on the head.

“What is wrong, Papa?” Kara asked.

He smiled and took the cup of tea being offered to him.

“Nothing is wrong darling,” He told her. “All is well.”

Kara smiled at him and returned to her doll and Alexei’s horses. Germans, her uncle had said. Kara looked at her doll and furrowed her borrow. She wondered if Germans also liked to sip tea and sit outside with lemon cakes. The German girl seemed to enjoy the lemon cakes.

She looked back at Papa and wondered if the German girl’s own Papa enjoyed swimming in the lake.

Kara nodded to herself. She will ask Olga to help her write a letter to the German girl. Mayhaps she will come and enjoy a picnic here at Tsarkoye Selo.

-

Kara tiptoed around her parents’ quarters, careful not to make a noise. Alexei was terrible at being it when they played hide and seek, even with the help of his nanny. It was her only chance to win. Their sisters were too good otherwise.

She slowly backed into Papa’s study and closed the door behind her. When she turned, she was met with Papa’s reflection on the mirror. He stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Papa,” Kara whispered excitedly, bounding over to him. He was standing in front of the mirror wearing his normal uniform. Interestingly, he had on his crown in all its shining glory. “We must be quiet or Lyoshka will find me!”

Papa nodded slightly and the crown wobbled a little.

Kara tilted her head.

“That looks quite heavy.”

“That it is, Malenkaya,” he agreed. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

He grasped the crown with both hands and slowly lifted it off his head. Kara watched as he placed it inside a red velvet lined box. He sat down and patted his knee.

“Maybe other people can help you carry it if it is so very heavy?” Kara suggested, scrambling to sit on Papa’s knee, game of hide and seek long forgotten. “Uncle Jor-El has very strong shoulders!”

Papa laughed.

“He does, doesn’t he?” He answered. “But I cannot share the burden, you see. It is my duty alone to guide our people. God has willed it so.”

“Oh. It must get so lonely, Papa. Are you lonely?”

“Sometimes,” Papa mused. “But I have you and your sisters and brother and your mama—”

“And Jimmy!”

“And Jimmy the dog. And all our pets. So, it is not so bad.”

Kara nodded. She reached out to touch the crown, marveling at the shiny stones and metals. She loved it every time Mama and Papa had to dress up. She had her tiara, but it always slipped and covered her eyes when she wore it. She tried to imagine Alexei wearing the crown and giggled. It was larger than his whole head!

“What is it that you find amusing, darling?”

“This won’t fit Lyoshka! He has quite a tiny head,” Kara giggled, covering her mouth with her hands. Papa laughed as well, taking her hands into his much larger, stronger hands.

“He will grow eventually,” Papa explained. “And you’ll have to be there to help him. You must remind him, Kara, in case he forgets. The strong must protect those who cannot protect themselves. Remember, the evil which is now in the world will become yet more powerful, and it is not evil which conquers evil, but only love. Remember.”

“I will Papa,” Kara nodded solemnly. “I promise.”


	2. 1918

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kind words!
> 
> Note that I neither speak German nor Russian. But I tried :)

_“We know only that in some strange and melancholy way we have become a waste land.”_

_\- Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet in the Western Front_

 

Europe, 1918. War rages on between the Axis and Allied Powers. Craters and barbed wire scar the face of the Earth, ravaged by four years of unparalleled death and destruction.

In Russia, chaos reigns. Under the debilitating weight of the Great War, the long decaying Tsarist autocracy crumbles in the face of revolution in the spring of 1917. Russia has sued for peace with Germany but Civil War rages on between the Red and White Armies. The fate of the former Imperial Family hangs on a precipice.

Despite a successful last-ditch offensive, Germany starves. Years of blockades have come to a head and she now faces a shortage: of food, of ammunition, of people, and of patience. Sailors revolt in Kiel, igniting revolution in Germany. Axis combatants fall like dominoes as the Allied Army sweeps through Europe. With a broken army and a broken economy, the old regime collapses and Germany reaches out for an armistice. They’ve not lost an inch of land but victory has now become an impossibility.

 

* * *

 

 

**July 1918 – Kara, 10.**

**Боже, Царя храни!**

 

The rescue would be soon, Mama had said. Her coughing had become so unbearable. She was restricted to her bed most days and it pained Kara so. Her beautiful Mama…Her cheeks were sunken in and she looked so sad all the time.

They all did. Papa with his constant frown. All he did was chop wood whenever the guards let them outside the house. Alexei was not doing well since his last incident. He couldn’t walk and had to be carried around everywhere. And Olga. Her smart and strong-willed sister looked so hopeless. Kara did her best to make her laugh, but it pained her so when she only received small smiles.

The guards were different. Kara woke up one day and found all their normal guards had been replaced. Gone was Eugene with the smuggled treats, replaced with Anton the perpetual scowler, standing still as a statue and guarding the front door with his large gun. She smiled at him once and was met with a glare.

Kara sighed and looked back at her Mama. She did not want to say it, but she did not think rescue was coming at all.

-

Kara remembered every detail about that night. She did not realize then her whole world was about to implode before her eyes.

It was horrible. She caught a glimpse outside the window before they were all ushered away.

There were masses of people outside the palace gates, with torches and guns and red flags. Kara heard the mob had started breaking shop windows to steal bread and coffee and that there were police and soldiers amongst them. They demanded to see Mama and Papa. They demanded Papa give up his crown.

Papa had been gone at the front for some time, fighting the Germans. He sent letters but never talked about the war. Kara had no clue the situation was so dire. Olga and Tatiana had explained it to them once while they were huddled on Olga’s bed. She had on her nurse’s uniform, as did Tatiana. Kara had wanted so badly to join them, but Mama said she was too young.

Olga said the soldiers were so gravely hurt and they were coming in droves. There were stories of how terrible life was in the trenches and how they were losing to the Germans. People all over the country were eating anything to stay alive. That had upset Kara.

“Could we not share our food with the people?” She had asked with a frown.

Olga shook her head.

“There isn’t enough for everyone.”

She said nothing more, but Kara had not been able to fight the gnawing fear since then.

She was right.

There wasn’t enough for the people and the people had shown up at their doorstep. Revolutionaries.

Papa returned home immediately. He signed a paper saying he was stepping down and Alexei was giving up his claim in favor of Uncle Jor-El. But her uncle refused the crown. And Kal-El was missing somewhere in the Eastern Front, feared dead by their family. As it stood, there was an empty throne, an abandoned crown, and, figuratively speaking, a headless body.

It took a few days to destroy what her family had built in three centuries.

The country dissolved into chaos. Papa explained the new government was now run by the people and the people were demanding her family leave St. Petersburg and never return. He said it was for the best.

As Kara gathered her favorite things, she wondered how people she’d never met could hate her so, hate Mama and Papa so. They were kind and loving and Papa had put his duty to his country above all else.

Her family was taken away in the cover of the night with their enemies hot on their trails.

-

Her family was first sent to the Alexander Palace. It was not so bad. The new government took care of them. They were eventually evacuated farther to somewhere in Siberia as the Red Army approached and they had to leave many of the people in their household behind. Kara was sad to leave the faces she’d known her whole life.

Then things took a turn for the worse.

There was a new government, one that did not look kindly upon her family.

They were moved once more, to the town of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains. The house was so scary: tall walls, barbed wires, painted windows, bolted doors. It felt more like a prison than a house.

Her family was strong and together and they made the best of their situation. Kara and her siblings put on plays for Mama and Papa and their servants. She had become particularly good at making voices and imitating people, and her family had howled in laughter when she mimicked cousin Willy telling German soldiers to fight. Even their captors had found it funny.

-

They’d been in Yekaterinburg for 4 months now. Kara was curious to hear what was happening beyond the walls of their current house but they were no longer allowed outside. She wondered what happened with the war and with her vegetable garden in Tsarkoye Selo. She wondered if Kal-El was still alive and if he was with his Papa and Mama. She wondered if she’d ever see the beautiful ocean again.

She wondered what was to happen to them. The answer scared her.

“Go to sleep, Kara,” Maria grumbled from her bed. “Your tossing and turning is keeping all of us up.”

“Sorry,” Kara said sheepishly, clutching her doll tighter.

She closed her eyes and willed herself to go to sleep. She would wonder tomorrow. Tonight, she would sleep and dream of the ocean.

Tomorrow.

-

Tomorrow.

-

Kara clutched her side with her free hand, her fingers wet with warm and sticky blood. She hugged her doll and tried her best not to cry out, barely able to see straight with the tears in her eyes. Something on her face was bleeding, but she could not separate the blood from her tears.

It was cold and dark and she was in so much pain. There was a trail of blood on the snow as she limped her way into the woods, looking over her shoulder with every step.

 _Run,_ Olga had gasped.

They were gone.

Papa and Mama. Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Alexei. Mama’s maid, the cook, their footman, the kind doctor. All of them.

She closed her eyes and saw it all again: a deafening rain of bullets, explosions cutting through her brain, a cloud of smoke and gunpowder suffocating her…Olga’s hand limp in hers, Papa’s eyes lifeless as blood dripped from the bullet hole between.

They were all dead.

She cried even more, large sobs shaking her shoulders.

Tripping on a root, Kara fell face forward into the snow. Her body ached all over and her head spun. There were footsteps in the distance, but it mattered not to Kara. Let them find her.

As the lights dimmed and the sounds faded, Kara prayed for it to be over so she could be reunited with her family at last.

* * *

**November 1918 – Lena, 9.**

**Gotterdammerung.**

 

Both Papa and Mother warned her. They attempted to dissuade her from visiting Lex the whole week after he had been transferred to a hospital in Berlin. He was hurt during an explosion, Mother said, and he couldn’t see. He was also shaken and not himself.

Papa had hurriedly reassured Lena it was only temporary at the horrified look on Lena’s face.

She held her ground. She was going to see her brother and there was nothing they could do about it.

Lex had been ecstatic when the war erupted four years ago. He was too young then and Lena remembered as he impatiently ripped the pages of his calendar daily until the day of his 18th birthday. Oh, how she plotted to add more days to his calendar. But she knew he wouldn’t stay. Lena cried miserably when he left their home. Lex hugged her tight and promised to write her as often as he could. She buried her face in Papa’s neck, unable to watch him drive away.

The best days were when Lex’s letters would arrive at their home. One for Papa, one for Mother, and one for Lena. Papa’s and Mother’s had always looked so drab—full of words in Lex’s neat handwriting. Lena was never sure if they were reading the same thing, for Mother would smile and Papa would have a deep frown as they read their respective letters.

Lena’s letter was special. Lex would include drawings and souvenirs from places he’d been to. Her favorite was one with a sketch of a beautiful church. She imagined what it would be like to go on an adventure with Lex and explore Europe and beyond.

She was afraid when his letters stopped coming. Even more so when Papa sat her on his knee and told her what had happened.

Her brave brother had almost died leading the Kaiser’s men in battle. Protecting the Fatherland.

“Do you still want to go, Lena?”

Lena looked up at Papa. They were slowly being led down the hall by a kind looking nurse who repeatedly looked at Lena with concern. Lena just smiled and held on to Papa’s hand tighter. She adjusted her grip on the flowers she picked from the garden. The white ones were the prettiest and Lex’s favorite.

There were sounds of whining and crying and Lena wondered briefly if there were children in the hospital. But she knew better.

Lena bumped into her Papa. The nurse had stopped by a doorway and looked at them with small smile.

The room had an overwhelming smell. It was filled with cries and moans and Lena tried not to look as they walked down the narrow aisle. There were rows of beds with men who looked to be in so much pain. 

Was not war supposed to be filled with glory and adventure? Where were the songs and the merriment Lex had told her about? The camaraderie?

The room was filled with nothing but suffering. It was filled with the War. Everyone had been trying to protect her from the war, but it was too late. She knew people were starving and she knew soldiers were dying. In the summer, she had overheard the servants talking about the Russian Imperial family. Murdered, all of them. Lena had cried for the children. She was afraid. What kind of war was this if little girls like her were being slaughtered in the night?

Lena kept her eyes on her feet. When they stopped at the foot of one bed, she almost bolted back for the door.

“Lena,” Papa asked, tugging at her hand gently.

Lena felt tears forming in her eyes. She slowly looked up. There were feet under the blanket and pale hands on either side of a body that was supposed to be her brother. He had bandages around his eyes and little cuts and bruises on his face. And his hair. His hair was gone.

“…Lex?” Lena whispered, letting go of Papa’s hand and walking slowly towards her brother.

He turned his head slowly toward the sound of Lena’s voice.

“Mäuschen?” He said slowly.

“I’m here,” Lena reached out for his hand and cradled it in her tinier hands.

He smiled.

-

Lex was transported home a week later. Mother and Papa placed him in a room on the ground floor, with a beautiful view of the garden. He was quiet and in pain, and the abrupt sounds of slamming doors and starting cars gave him a start. Lena was sad to leave Berlin, for she loved the hustle and bustle of the city, but Mother and Papa insisted they would be safer in Schönhausen.

Lena hummed to herself as she walked to his current quarters. She had a tray of tea and crumpets, with a vase of his favorite flowers from the garden. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed servants huddled outside the library, listening to the radio. Inside, she saw Papa leaning over the fireplace and Mother sitting on the settee. Papa’s knuckles were white as he gripped the mantle.

The radio continued to crackle.

“…Signed an armistice…surrender of all U-Boats…”

Lena frowned.

“What is the matter?” She whispered, leaning closer.

“The war is over,” Someone responded.

“We should be rejoicing then,” Lena reasoned.

Franz, one of the footmen, shook his head and looked at her. Next to him, Mother’s maid burst into tears.

“They will punish us for this,” Franz said hoarsely.

A loud crash erupted from down the hall. Lena’s eyes widened. She handed the tray to Franz and ran to Lex’s quarters.

“Lies!” He screamed.

Lena threw the door open and stopped at the sight. There were shards of glass on the floor. Her brother was on his knees, fists pounding on the floor as he yelled out. When he looked up with wide eyes and tears streaming down his face and an almost murderous expression on his face, Lena stepped back.

“Traitors!” He screamed. “Wretched socialists and Jews plotting whilst the young men of Germany fight for the Fatherland! Not once were we pushed off from conquered soil! Honorable Siegfried! Stabbed in the back by traitors at home!”

He paused.

“Is this what we died for?! Is it all for naught?! For utter humiliation and destruction?!”

Lena tried to reach out.

“Get out!” He screamed. “All of you!”

Lena scrambled back as Lex stood up and lunged at the desk, sweeping everything off it in anger.

A warm hand rested on Lena’s shoulders. She looked up and saw her Mother through the tears. She pulled her away and led her back. Over her shoulder, Lena watched as Lex continued to scream and destroy everything within arm’s reach. Papa was still stood over the fireplace in the library when they passed by. He was like a statue, immune to his son’s rampage down the hall.

For the first time in her life, she clung to her Mother and cried.


	3. 1922-23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter before Kara's and Lena's worlds collide!

_“This is not peace. It is an armistice for twenty years.”_

_\- Marshal Ferdinand Foch, 1919_

 

Europe, 1922. Trouble brews. Gunshots may have ceased four years ago, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, but all is not well.

In Russia, the Civil War that started in 1917 ends in a Bolshevik victory. Millions of civilians lay dead in the wake of the Red Terror and the Russian economy is in shambles. White émigrés, largely made up of Russia’s educated and skilled population, flee the country in fear.

In Italy, members of the National Fascist Party (Partito Nazionale Fascista, NFP) paramilitary group, the Blackshirts, march into Rome with a 30,000 person mob. Fearing a civil war, King Vittorio Emanuele hands over political power to fascist leader Benito Mussolini.

A year later, in 1923, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, NSDAP) attempts to recreate Mussolini’s March on Rome in Munich in a bid to overthrow the Weimar Republic. The NSDAP is fueled by the stab-in-the-back myth. Its members, many of which are veterans, believe the German army did not lose the Great War; it was the disloyal civilian government, primarily the socialists and Jews, who orchestrated Germany’s demise, leading to the loss of the Prussian heartland and heavy reparations dictated by the victors.

The Munich coup fails, but dangerous seeds of discontent are sown.

 

* * *

 

**October 1922 – Kara, 14.**

**The Hunter**

 

“Steady.”

Kara eyed the wolf quietly and gripped the rifle tighter. She tried not to tremble as she bit into the snow to keep her breath from frosting. The wolf slowly emerged from the cover of the trees, slowly approaching their horse, Misha. Kara could feel Misha panicking as he had no doubt sensed the presence of a predator. He neighed and pranced nervously, pulling at the rope rooting him to the post. Next to her, Alex fidgeted in anticipation. She named Misha and she and Kara had nursed him as a newborn.

“Be ready, Kara,” Jeremiah said with a low voice. “Breath slow and hold steady.”

The wolf had been preying on their animals all autumn. It was a gamble, but Jeremiah had decided the threat must be neutralized lest another one of the chickens be taken.

“Let it come to you,” Jeremiah told her, leaning down to Kara’s eye level.

Kara’s heart was pounding in her ears. It was so loud, she worried the wolf would hear it. She adjusted her grip slightly and swallowed hard. The wolf approached even closer and snarled at the horse. She looked the wolf in the face.

“Kara,” Jeremiah warned. The wolf stalked closer and Misha began to panic. “Now, Kara.”

“Kara,” Alex said calmly, steadying hand on her shoulder. It was Kara’s lifeline back to reality.

She pulled the trigger.

-

She had been afraid of gunshots, flinching and cowering under the covers the first time Jeremiah had to use his rifle. The sound, the smell, the cry of something dying—all of it brought her back to that night.

It wasn’t long after that Jeremiah handed her a rifle and invited her to practice with a smile. He said the only thing she had to be afraid of was herself. Practice turned into defending the home from a wolf preying on their horse.

But that was four years ago.  

-

“Kara,” Alex said exasperatedly. “Please refrain from eating the berries. We’ll have none left by the time we return home.”

“But Alex,” Kara mumble with a mouthful of berries. She swallowed. “They’re delicious!”

“And so is the strudel ma will make if you give the berries a fighting chance.”

Kara let out a long and dramatic sigh.

“Fine, fine,” She relented with a frown. “If I must.”

Alex laughed and returned her attention to the berries. Kara moved next to her and helped her pick the best ones. Alex froze.

“What—”

“Shh,” Alex whispered. There was a ruffling of leaves. Kara looked around, her eyes wide with panic.

Alex shoved the basket in her hands and immediately moved to crouch in front of Kara in a protective stance. She pulled her knife out. Kara watched nervously, waiting with bated breath. Without looking back, Alex spoke.

“Don’t worry, Kara. I’ll protect you.”

Alex had been protecting her ever since that fateful night, when Kara was sure she had met her end. She was suspicious of anyone talking to Kara, given her secret. Grand Duchess Yekaterina Zoreleavna of the Imperial House of Romanov was, for all intents and purposes, dead; Murdered by the Bolsheviks and buried in some hidden grave in the Urals.

But Kara Danilov? Kara Danilov was alive and well. And Alex Danilov had made it her singular priority to ensure no harm came to her sister.

It was Alex who found her. It was Alex found Kara face down in the snow, bleeding and freezing to death. She carried Kara back to the Danilov cottage and went back out, once Kara was in her mother’s hands, to cover the tracks of blood in the snow. Jeremiah and Eliza—Alex’s parents—may have closed the wounds and stopped the bleeding, but it was Alex who nursed Kara back to life in the following months. She slept on the same bed and held her through every nightmare. She read to Kara until she finally smiled and agreed to play in the snow.

It was Alex who saved her life.

“Do not be afraid,” Alex said quietly. “And do not move until I say so.”

Kara nodded.

A nearby bush shook and Alex gripped the knife.

A deer appeared. It walked slowly, looking around the clearing and stopped once it spotted the two of them. After a few moments, it looked away and continued its journey.

Alex visibly relaxed. She lowered her knife and Kara let out a breath. She looked at the beautiful deer. It meandered over to the creek and drank some water. Kara watched intently, her lips parted in wonder. She had seen deer in her four years with the Danilovs, but never one this close. It bounded off after drinking more.

Alex fell back and sat next to her. She laughed and Kara joined in.

-

“Look at what Alex and I found!” Kara said excitedly, bounding after her sister into the cottage. “There were so many—oof!”

She ran straight into Alex’s back and stumbled backward from the sudden momentum. She almost lost her balance and the berries dangerously looked like they were wont to spill out of her haphazard basket, but Kara managed to right herself.

Once she was steady, she moved closer to her sister and looked over her shoulder.

“What is the matter?” Alex asked, eyeing her mother and father, and the suitcases packed up before them.

“Are we going off on a holiday?” Kara offered.

“Come,” Eliza waved them over. “We will explain on the way, but you must pack your things.”

Kara placed the basket of berries on the kitchen table and followed.

“Where are we going?” Alex asked, rooted in her spot.

“To Berlin,” Jeremiah supplied.

-

The civil war between the White Army and the Red Army had finally come to an end, Jeremiah explained as they settled in their train compartment. The Red Revolutionaries had won. There was no telling what was to come. But given the destruction and dead bodies left in the wake of the conflict and the Red Army’s penchant for making the Russian Intelligentsia (like the Danilovs) disappear, Eliza and Jeremiah decided it was best to leave Russia for Eliza’s native Germany.

Kara knew about the dead bodies, had survived the initial blood bath first hand. And she knew of the war in the periphery—it had all started with her Papa’s abdication after all. It hurt her, thinking about how close the White Army was when her family was slaughtered in the cover of darkness. She did not allow herself the luxury of imagining what might have been.

The Danilov cottage had largely been spared from the war by the Urals. The skirmishes hardly ever came to the mountains. And although she hated the Bolsheviks with every fiber of her being, Kara had mostly spent her time worrying about wolves and bears.

But a Bolshevik victory? Kara did not know what that would mean for all of Russia. For all the world.

She leant on Alex and looked out the window.

-

“This way, girls,” Eliza said, guiding them through the busy train station and to the line forming outside of a vestibule. Kara gripped the handles of her basket tighter. She saw Alex look around in wonder, eyes wandering from the engines to the people. Kara herself followed the column of smoke coming from the engine and rising to the tall glass ceiling overhead. It had been a long time since she had seen this many people all at once. And she couldn’t remember a time when this many people were allowed to be so close to her.

In a way, it was like being in a whole new world.

“Pässe,” An officer with a large mustache grunted inside the vestibule, holding his large hand out to Jeremiah. He handed him two passports. “Und die Pässe der Kinder?”

Jeremiah looked lost. Kara held her tongue, knowing that her ability to speak German would raise suspicions. Eliza interjected, handing Kara’s and Alex’s passports. Kara eyed the passport nervously.

“Hier bist du, Offizier,” She offered in perfect German.

The officer’s mood changed considerably, now faced with a fellow German. He took the passports and chatted with Eliza, inquiring about her curious brood of Russian children. He half-heartedly flipped through the passports and stamped away as Eliza happily chatted about coming home to Berlin with her children.

The officer waved them through without so much a glance.

“Willkommen in Deutschland.”

 “What did he say?” Alex whispered as Jeremiah and Eliza ushered them through the throngs of people and the large doors of the dark and gloomy station. They stepped out, suitcases and chests in tow, and were swallowed by blinding sunlight.

Kara shielded her eyes. When they adjusted, she slowly lowered her arm and took in the bustling city. Imposing buildings were in the backdrop and the cobbled roads disappeared under automobiles and trams and people walking to and fro.

“He said,” Kara spoke without looking away, “Welcome to Germany.”

 

* * *

 

**November 1923 – Lena, 14.**

**München Putsch**

 

Lena wandered down to the kitchens, hoping to find a slice of lemon cake from tonight’s dinner course. She tiptoed quietly, afraid of waking anyone. Mother would have a fit if she knew.

She loved their home in Berlin. Schönhausen was beautiful, but it was too large. The kitchens and the library were too far from her own rooms, all the way at the other side of the manor. Their town home in Berlin offered express access to lemon cakes and literature! And now that Lex lived here whilst attending university, coming to Berlin also meant seeing her older brother.

She quickly spotted the cake dome on the counter top. Silently, she plated a slice and grabbed a fork. She wished she had some tea for the cake but she reckoned boiling water would wake someone up. That and she did not know how to boil water.

A noise startled her.

Lena spun around and held the fork out, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

Lex threw his head back and guffawed.

“Pray tell Lena, were you planning on stabbing me like you would that cake?” He asked with a boyish grin.

Lena lowered the fork and placed her hand on her chest.

“Lex, you gave me a fright,” She scolded. Her anger quickly melted away when she took a good look at her older brother.

Lex had a fresh cut on his right cheek bone, a black eye in the early stages, and a cut on his lip. His left sleeve was slashed below his red arm band and blood seeped through the fabric.

“What on earth happened?” Lena looked at him with panicked eyes. She hurried over with a kitchen towel and pressed it against his arm. Lex sat down on one of the stools and winced. He grabbed the slice of cake with his free hand and pried the fork from Lena’s hands as she busied herself with his injuries.

“We might have attempted to overthrow the government,” He said casually as we chewed on cake.

Lena’s hands stilled. She looked at him incredulously.

“I beg your pardon?”

Lex laughed. He shoved another morsel of cake in his mouth.

“We were in München, at Bürgerbräukeller, which is a beer hall, which is what you drink—”

“I know what beer is!” Lena protested.

“Anyhow, our party had quite the turnout, I’d say thousands of people were there. All to overthrow that wretched Weimar Republic.”

Lex put the fork down.

“Police showed up and opened fire. Killed some people,” He said with a grim look on his face. “Disgusting socialist dogs.”

Lena frowned slightly. It always made her sick to her stomach when Lex said such hateful things. It all started with his breakdown on Armistice Day and had progressively gotten worse since. Papa and Mother told her it was nothing to worry about, that Lex just needed to vent his frustrations and anger. She didn’t agree with a single thing he said, but in her fear of upsetting him even more, she kept silent.

“But it’s quite alright,” He started again after a few moments of silence. “Our leader escaped to safety. This will help spread the word about the party and our mission; Help the German people see the light.”

Lena bit her lip. Lex had met some people when he moved to Berlin for university, other veterans who urged him to join a political group. She eyed the red arm band on his sleeve. It was all talk—strong prejudiced talk—up until now. This was the first time he had done anything about his opinions and here he was, bleeding all over the kitchen. Lena felt a nagging fear but she shoved it down.

She was overthinking things yet again.

“Well,” She said as she hugged his uninjured side. “I am grateful you are alright.”

Lex placed an arm over her shoulder and kissed the crown of her head.

“Me too, Mäuschen,” He said with a faraway voice. “Me too.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, unmoving in their embrace. Lex broke the silence.

“Now, tell me what else is bothering you,” Lex asked. He got up and walked over to the cake. When he returned, he pulled another stool over and placed the slice of cake in front of Lena. He sat down and looked at Lena expectantly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lena answered stiffly, sitting on the offered stool and picking at the cake, suddenly having lost her appetite.

Lex leaned down and caught her eyes.

“Come on, Mäuschen,” He smiled. “Here you are in the cover of darkness, sneaking around to eat cake at midnight. You know you can tell me anything. Let me make it right.”

Lena frowned.

“It’s Mother.”

“Of course.”

Lena sighed and sat back.

“I had asked Papa about attending University when I am older,” Lena elaborated. “I want to study Madame Curie’s work. Mother found out.”

Lex gave her a sympathetic smile.

“And she was not too happy. She would think it improper for a ‘Lady of my status.’”

She said the last bit with a rather good impersonation of their mother and Lex laughed. He stood up and grabbed the untouched cake, motioning for her to follow him. Lena walked next to him and smiled when he slung his arm over her shoulder. They were quiet as they walked through the halls and Lex opened the door to his room. There, Lena sat on his bed and ate cake while he dug around bookshelves and suitcases.

“Here we go,” Lex said triumphantly, walking over to sit next to Lena. He had a stack of books with him.

Lena looked curiously as he laid out the books between them.

“These are books from classes I’ve already finished,” He explained. “I don’t need them anymore, so you can take them with you and study. There are a few mathematics courses, some physics and chemistry. I think you’ll like this one in particular.”

Lena launched herself and hugged him tightly.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” She cried over and over again. Lex winced. Lena sat back with a sheepish look. “Sorry.”

Lex gave her a smile, rubbing the cut on his cheek.

“Not to worry,” He said. He held out an arm and pulled her in. “I’ll talk to Papa and Mama. You are far too bright to not go to University, Mäuschen. How will you run Papa’s company with me otherwise?”

Lena blushed. Only Lex and Papa ever called her smart.

“You’ll really let me work with you?” She asked earnestly.

“Why, of course!” He said incredulously. “You and I are going to change the world!”


	4. 1927

_“He knew she was there by the rapture and the terror that seized his heart. Everything was made bright by her. She was the smile that shed light all around her. ‘Is it possible I can go over there on the ice, go up to her?’ he thought. The place where she stood seemed to him a holy shrine."_

_\- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina._

 

Europe, 1927. Relative silence. Leon Trotsky is expelled from the Soviet Communist Party, leaving Joseph Stalin as the undisputed leader of Soviet Russia with the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924.

For his stunt with the Munich Putsch, Adolf Hitler is sentenced to jail for 5 years in 1924. He serves 8 months and publishes his manifesto, Mein Kampf. His continued inflammatory speeches and provocative assertions lead to a ban from public speaking in almost all 19 German States of the Weimar Republic by 1927.

Beyond the borders of the continent, life goes on. The West enjoys a roaring decade of indulgence and economic growth while certain players in the East are embroiled in a civil war.

In Berlin, Kara and Lena meet again.

 

* * *

 

 

**August 1927 – As One Does the Sun, Even Without Looking**

 

**Kara, 19.**

 

“Kara.”

“No,” Kara mumbled in her sleep.

“It’s time to rise,” Alex said, poking Kara’s cheek.

“Alex,” Kara whined, hiding her face under her pillow. “You promised not to bother me if I gave you my last biscuit.”

“You took a bite.”

“I don’t recall you specifying a percentage.”

“Oi,” Alex groaned, plopping down on the bed. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Less talking, more sleeping,” Kara yawned, rolling away from her sister and digging deeper into the mattress.

“You do recall it’s your first day of university,” Alex casually commented with a shrug. “I’m quite certain Humboldt University wouldn’t think twice about giving your spot to a more punctual student.”

“Блин!” Kara bolted up, her outburst causing Alex to fall off the bed.

“Ow,” Alex lamented, rubbing her tailbone. She watched as Kara frantically ran around the room. She tripped and Alex sighed, reaching for Kara’s eyeglasses.

“Kara,” She said with a deadpan tone, shoving the glasses on her face. “Here, you silly girl.”

Kara laughed.

“Thank you, Alex!” Kara yelled, running off to the bathroom.

Alex smiled and shook her head, following her out of the room.

-

Kara waved at her family as she hopped on her bicycle. She pedaled away, attempting to rein in her excitement. She had worked hard to be accepted. She remembered picking up Alex and spinning around in the kitchen when she received her letter.

She stood in front of the impressive edifice: wide steps leading up to the double doors, with a tall colonnade standing guard at the front. Stoic statues of forgotten gods of yore stood above the roof, watching over the campus.

For a brief moment, Kara was sent back to another place—one with colonnades, grandiose staircases, and marble statues with burning gazes. Somewhere far away, long ago, with a dimly lit candle lighting her memories. She shook her head to vanquish the image.

She did allow herself one luxury. Kara ascended the stairs without skipping or taking two steps at a time, Olga’s proud voice in her head telling her to behave and have an excellent first day.

She arrived at the lecture hall with minutes to spare and took her time selecting the optimum spot for learning. Once she was settled, Kara opened her journal and prepared her pen. Eliza and Jeremiah had gifted her the journal and fountain pen when she received her acceptance letter. She wrote down the date on the top corner and sat back. The lecture hall was quite full and some students nodded at Kara as they settled around her. She spotted a few people she knew from academy and waved.

And then, without warning, she saw _her_.

The woman carried several books close to her chest. She looked around the lecture hall for a seat, her black hair falling in soft wisps and framing her face. She stood out so, in a room full of men in drab suits and loud conversation. When she descended down the stairs, she floated. Kara periodically averted her eyes, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun. And yet she saw her, like the sun, without even looking.

Her heart seized for a moment as she approached and she found herself praying for this woman to decide to sit next to her. But alas, Claus the sniffler plopped down unceremoniously in the vacant seat, dashing Kara’s hopes and dreams.

The woman smiled politely to a fellow a few steps below, excusing herself as she made her way to an empty seat. Kara suddenly felt immense jealousy toward a man she’d never spoken to, all for being on the receiving end of such a beautiful smile.

She managed to write her professor’s name (Herr A. Einstein) in her journal, but she would be lying if she said she heard much of his lecture beyond that.

-

Kara scolded herself internally as she walked her bicycle through the university grounds. What would she say when Alex inevitably asked how her first class had been? She did not even remember any of it. She frowned and bit into her apple, meandering over to her next class.

She stood at the corner, waiting to cross the busy avenue. The autumn wind blew past her and Kara watched as the crisp leaves around her tumbled in the wind. When she followed the leaves with her eyes, her breath hitched.

There, with her nose in a book, was the woman from earlier. She paid Kara (or anybody else, for that matter) no attention and read intently, furrowing her brow and worrying her lower lip.

In fact, so intent was she on reading her book, she missed the auto careening towards her, after swerving violently to evade the escaped potatoes from the lorry in front of it.

Kara threw her bike to the ground and ran.

 

* * *

 

 

**Lena, 18.**

 

Lena nervously tucked stray strands of hair behind her ear. She had opted to wear her hair up under a simple hat. She smoothed out her skirt once more. Her maid fastened her earrings with a hidden smile. Lena was nervous, which was silly, and Anna found enjoyment in it.

“You know, I’ve never seen you fuss this much,” Lex chided from the door. “And we’ve visited royal courts across Europe. What say you, Anna? Don’t you agree?”

“Sush, Lex,” Lena frowned, looking over her shoulder. Anna’s smile grew but she otherwise stayed silent. Lena’s raised eyebrow serving as a warning.

Lex inspected the various materials on her dresser. He lifted her perfume and sniffed. He made a face and Lena rolled her eyes, moving to snatch the bottle out of his hands.

“Give me that before you blind yourself,” Lena said. Lex surrendered the bottle and held up his hands.

“I yield!” He joked.

He stopped before he exited her room.

“You look lovely, Mäuschen. Ever the bright university student I know you are.”

-

She woke before dawn, even before Anna entered her room, unable to truly sleep in her excitement.

At breakfast, Lex sat in Papa’s chair and read the newspaper. His hair had never grown back, a permanent reminder of The Great War. He looked so much like Papa with his pipe and the newspaper, it made Lena miss him terribly in that moment.

She had recently moved to Berlin for University, something she had been looking forward to for years. She missed Papa dearly, and Mother as well, but Schönhausen was never more than a train ride away. Papa telephoned earlier to wish her well on her first day. They spoke for half an hour, with Lena excitedly telling him about her courses. She gushed about her luck, having secured a spot in Herr Einstein’s lecture.

Lex presented her with a leather-bound journal and a beautiful pen with her monogram. He tried to ruffle her hair when she made for the car and she chased his arm away. It was the best thing about moving to Berlin—seeing Lex every day.

-

Lena was early. She had picked a seat in the front row and had spread out all her materials. She had even written down the date on her journal. Fingers laced in front of her, she looked around nervously. Someone sat down next to her and offered a smile.

“Hello,” He said. He took out his books from his briefcase and opened his journal to a blank page. “I must say, I am trying to hide my nerves. This is my first day of university.”

“It is mine as well,” Lena gave him a polite smile.

“It’s been my dream to study History,” The man continued to talk. “I could hardly believe it when that English fellow found Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus.”

He looked at her expectantly and Lena frowned. History?

“Pardon me, but what course did you say this was?”

“Introduction to the Ancient World of Egypt?”

Lena’s expression dropped. She looked around her and saw books of varying relation to Egypt and history. She then looked down to her book on Physics. Oops.

“Right,” Lena nodded to herself. She hurriedly gathered her books and made for the door. Fortunately, she quickly found the correct lecture hall and tried to find a seat as discreetly as possible.

-

It all happened so quickly. One moment, Lena was reading Madame Curie’s book of radioactivity while she waited to cross the boulevard, and the next she was on the ground with a warm body above her and a stopped automobile inches from her face. She looked from the tire to the person lying on top of her.

Lena never read romantic novels growing up, preferring Lex’s textbooks and Papa’s history tomes. At the risk of sounding like an Austen novel, she swore her heart stopped once she met the bluest eyes blinking back at her. The woman’s eyes were bluer than the sky above. A light dusting of freckles was on her nose and her lips were slightly parted. She had a small scar on her eyebrow and Lena found herself curious about the stories it could tell.

Lena couldn’t explain it, but something had shifted.

“Uhh.”

Shaken from her reverie, Lena blushed and realized she was caught staring.

“Hello,” The woman said with a bright smile, pushing herself up and off Lena. “Are you alright Fräulein?”

“You saved my life,” Lena was breathless.

The woman slowly stood and held out a hand for her. Lena took it and was pulled up by a strong, calloused hand. Her smile was infectious and Lena barely noticed the small crowd gathered around them.

“I owe you my life…” Lena trailed off.

“Oh! Kara,” The woman replied, shaking their still linked hands. “Kara Danilov.”

“Lena von und zu Luthor,” Lena introduced herself. She smiled slowly as Kara bent down to pick up her book.

“Madame Curie is one of my personal heroes,” Kara noted as she handed the book back to her.

Lena nodded and took the book back.

“And I can say that you are now mine! You must let me thank you properly, Fräulein Danilov,” She reasoned. “At least do me the honor of joining me for dinner?”

Kara smiled again and Lena felt like she was melting.

“I would not be so foolish as to turn down free food.”

-

By the fourth time Lena had appeared in the kitchens to check on the ‘simple’ dinner menu she had requested, Fräu Koch had threatened an embargo on lemon cakes for the foreseeable future. Lena dutifully obliged and busied herself in the office. Luckily, she found a new victim for all her nervous energy.

“Please stop pacing,” Lex said without looking up from his papers.

Lena immediately froze on the spot. She was about to protest when she realized she had been pacing. Lex lifted his eyes and looked at her.

“Fine,” Lena huffed. She lowered herself on the chair across from Lex’s desk. She bounced her knee, a nervous tick she never quite got over, despite Mother’s best efforts.

“Mäuschen,” Her brother said with an exasperated smile. Lena actively stilled her leg.

“I do apologize,” Lena said sheepishly. “I’ve made my first university friend and I’m quite excited.”

Lex laughed.

A knock interrupted them.

“Fräulein Kara Danilov,” their butler, Schneider, announced. He gestured with his arm and Kara Danilov appeared at the doorway. She had on a sheepish smile and a simple dress. Lena felt herself smile back. She did not know if it was possible, but Kara was even more radiant than she remembered.

“Fräulein Danilov,” Lena greeted with a smile. “May I present my brother, Alexander.”

“Fräulein Danilov,” Lex said with a bright smile. He nodded his head and held out a hand. Lena did not miss the way her brother very slightly stiffened when he said the Russian name. “Please accept my eternal gratitude for saving my sister’s life.”

“I am just grateful she is alright,” Kara shook his hand. “I’m glad to have saved her. Although I hope it will be the first and only time.”

Lex laughed.

“You must forgive her. Mäuschen is very dedicated to her studies, even when crossing the boulevard, it seems.”

He winced as Lena stepped on his foot.

“Mäuschen?” Kara asked with a questioning smile. “Please, you must tell me more.”

Lena looped an arm through Kara’s and pulled her towards away from her brother.

“Come, I promised you food, not embarrassing childhood stories,” She chided. Kara laughed. Lena decided right there and then she quite liked hearing Kara laugh.

 


End file.
